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Shared Aug 22, 2014 comment

What comes to mind when you hear the words “financial freedom”?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 22, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Earlier this week, I gave you a little peek into what my next book is going to be about and told you that I was going to be asking for your help during the writing process.

THANK YOU to everyone who left comments or emailed in with your answers to my first two questions. Your insight was incredible helpful as I shape this book.

Thank you for sharing so openly about your struggles, difficulties, setbacks, and fears. My hope is to address as many of these as possible in the book.

Today, I have a quick question for you: What comes to your mind when you hear the words “financial freedom”? What does that mean to you? What does that look like for you?

Share your answers in the comments or email them to crystal @ moneysavingmom.com. There are no right or wrong answers. I’m especially looking for one-sentence answers to use in a section of the book.

Note: I will be using some of your answers in the book, so if you don’t feel comfortable having your comment or email published in the book, please note that when you submit it.

photo credit

Shared Aug 21, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 4

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 21, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m very late in getting this posted, but this morning, afternoon, and evening just flew by and I finally have a chance to sit down and get this written! That’s life sometimes, isn’t it? Thanks for your patience as I’m not always the most dependable blogger ever. 🙂

I got up at 5:15 a.m. this morning. And I’m thrilled because today I felt really rested and energized when I got up. I’m hopeful that my body is starting to adjust to me being on an early-to-rise schedule again?

My One Nightly Must-Do: Create Tomorrow’s To-Do List

Today’s assignment is about creating a nightly checklist to encourage you to have better mornings. I love this idea and think it can be key to successful mornings.

I shared my evening routine yesterday — which sort of serves as my checklist. But I wanted to share one thing that has really helped me to wake up, jump into my day, and be more productive.

That one simple thing is to create a to-do list the night before. This one small thing makes a world of difference for my day. And I find that I sleep better, too, because I have mentally gone through the next day, thought through all the must-do’s and activities, and have created a plan for the day.

This simple exercise frees up so much space in my brain and truly relaxes me.

How it usually works is that I consult my Google Calendar (aka my “brain”) and see what is on tap for the next day — whether that’s a writing project that’s due, a phone call that must be made, an interview that is scheduled, an errand I need to run, or an activity one of my children has going on.

Once I’ve looked over my day, I then plan out our routine. We have a basic routine we follow everyday, but it varies based upon what needs to be done and what’s going on. So every evening, I write out my plan for the next day — including time blocks of when I plan to do everything.

This has been crucial for me, because it not only helps me go into the day with a Game Plan, but it also helps me to know if I need to bump some things I’d planned to do to another day or delete something I’d hoped to do altogether. I only have 24 hours in a day and planning accordingly instead of trying to cram in 36 hours’ worth of work into the day and then being frustrated and overwhelmed makes a huge difference!

I always try to include two to three hours of Margin Time — time when I don’t have anything scheduled. This is typically from 6-9 p.m. It doesn’t always end up being completely empty, but it allows wiggle room to finish things or catch up on laundry when inevitable interruptions or unexpected things come up throughout the day. It’s my sanity-saver!

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 5:15 a.m.
Read my Bible and devotional books. Prayed over my day.
Made some coffee, unloaded the dishwasher and reloaded it.
Started the laundry. Made Trim Healthy Mama Pancakes (My second try turned out beautifully — yay! You can see pictures of my first flop and my second success here.)
Exercised.
Finally had a chance to wash my hair. (I usually wash it every three days, but I had gone for six days without washing it. Yikes!)
Opened the laptop, answered emails, answered comments, scheduled some posts.
And then it was time to start homeschooling. 🙂

How has your morning been so far? Do you have a Nightly Checklist? If so, what’s on it? If not, what would you LIKE it to look like?

Shared Aug 21, 2014 comment

My Worst Critic

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 21, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My friend and “neighbor” Jon Acuff has a fantastic post up today about your worst critic.

It’s so worth the read! Now to just live this.

{Note: Okay, so the Acuffs aren’t technically neighbors because they live like 7 minutes away, but that’s considered neighbors in these here parts of the country! :)}

Shared Aug 21, 2014 comment

The Cost of Raising a Child

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 21, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I told you yesterday that I’d been asked to comment on a media story about the USDA’s prediction that it costs $245,000 to raise a child.

Your comments and thoughts on this topic were so interesting. There were lots of differing viewpoints and perspectives!

The article I was interviewed for was posted today on TheStir.com for those who are interested in reading it. Here’s a snippet:

Before even becoming a mom, one of the most common warnings you’ll hear from other parents is how expensive it can be to raise children. As it turns out, they’re right.

Families who had a baby in 2013 can expect to spend on average $245,340 until the child is 18, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s just-released annual report, Expenditures on Children by Families. That’s between $12,800 and $14,970 a year for a middle-income family with two parents, depending on the kids’ ages.

Angela Hawkins, 33, a mom of three in the suburbs of Houston, is living proof that the numbers don’t lie.

She shared her household budget with The Stir and estimated that she and her husband Shane will spend about $270,000 per child by the time they turn 18.

“The figures can be overwhelming,” Angela admits.

So where exactly does all that money go?

Read the full post here for the price breakdown details on how much this family is spending and some tips from other money-saving folks on how to cut costs (with one on cutting your food costs from yours truly!)

I found the figures she shared interesting and insightful. And, of course, my frugal brain came up with lots of suggestions and ideas for ways to possibly lower those costs. 🙂

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

A Peek Into Our 12-Day Road Trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 20, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It feels like we were on a road trip the whole month of August. Truthfully, it was only 12 days… but that’s a long time to be on the road! And it came right after a 5-day roadtrip to North Carolina and South Carolina, so that made it feel longer than it was, I think.

We’re not quite finished with road-tripping, because we’re headed back to South Carolina next week. I was planning to fly there for a few days to spend time with a few of my close friends, but as we looked at the map and realized it was well within an easy day’s driving distance, Jesse suggested we just drive and he’d take the kids sight-seeing during the days I was with my friends.

It’s weird because we used to not really be a road trip kind of family at all. But I think as our kiddos have gotten older and now that Jesse and I are both self-employed and can work anywhere, we’re probably going to become more and more of a road-tripping family.

Our kids love visiting new areas and studying the history, we can homeschool on the road (our core curriculum this year is the Monarch Online Homeschool Curriculum for the girls and LIFEPAC Kindergarten for Silas), and we’ve learned how to travel very inexpensively by using hotel points accrued through my business travel (we always sign up for the rewards programs for everywhere we stay and it’s amazing how quickly the points have built up this past year!), gift cards earned through Swagbucks (in big part to the many of you who have signed up through my referral link! Thank you!), and looking for the best deals in whatever area we’re going to be traveling to.

The first stop in our 12-day trip was to spend the week with my entire extended family on Bull Shoals Lake. This is a yearly tradition that we’ve had even before I was married.

Our kids had a blast being with all their cousins on my side of the family. It’s so fun to see them all growing up!

The highlight for me of our time at the lake was going jet-skiing with my husband. It’s been a big year for us as a family and there have been many hard moments in the midst of some pretty big life changes, and I’m so grateful that our marriage has stayed strong through it. Truly, I love my man so much more than I did than when I married him 11 years ago… and I didn’t think that was possible.

{Note: That does not mean that there haven’t been many tense moments and harsh words and even all out arguments. Trust me, we’ve had more arguments and fights in the past three months than we’ve probably had in our whole married life, but we’re truly growing together instead of apart. And I’m so very grateful for that. Our commitment these five things have been key to helping our marriage stay strong in the middle of the storms of life these past few months.}

Another wonderful memory of the trip was when my older sister (Brigette), my younger sister (Gretchen), and I somehow managed to all fit on the tube at the same time for a wild tube ride courtesy of Dad, the boat driver. There was much laughter, squealing, and holding on for dear life, but we had a blast! 🙂

After our time at Bull Shoals Lake, we headed for a day and a half in Springfield, MO to take a breather. And trust me, when I say “breather”, I mean that quite literally.

We slept, we watched movies, I worked on my next book some, and we just totally took it easy for a day and a half. We’ve found our kids need some “down” days on longer vacations otherwise it’s just too tiring for them and then that turns into a cranky situation… for kids and parents alike. 😉

We then went and met up with Jesse’s extended family in Branson, MO. Growing up, we went to Silver Dollar City just about every single year from the time I was a toddler. We have so many, many wonderful memories there and we’ve tried to take our kids there every year to carry on the tradition of my childhood.

After going to Disney World for the first time earlier this year, I realized that, for me, Silver Dollar City is one of my “happiest places on earth.” {Yes, I know, sorry Disney. You don’t hold a candle to Silver Dollar City, in my humble opinion.}

Word to the wise: if a ride at Silver Dollar City warns you that you will get bathtub wet, they aren’t kidding. We had so much fun, so it was worth being sopping wet.

{I was so soaked, I went in the restroom, and wrung my clothes out. I probably wrung out at least a few cups of water. I kid you not.}

Our last stop in Missouri: Bass Pro Shops… One of the boys’ favorite stores in existence. I’m pretty sure they could spend hours in there and never run out of things to look at. 🙂

As for me, I chose to have a cheerful attitude and go along with it even though it’s one of my least favorite stores. And it ended up being a fun family outing!

And this is my favorite picture of the whole trip. Why? Because it represents me punching my fears and “I can’ts” right smack dab in face. And it gives me courage to continue to showing up and living with wholehearted courage. You can read the story behind this picture here, in case you missed it.

How have the past two weeks gone for you? Did anything interesting or exciting happen at your house?

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Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s Walgreens Shopping Trip: Spent $6.85 out of pocket for $34 worth of products

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 20, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Walgreens Shopping Trip

Transaction #1

1 Almay Eye Shadow – $5.99 (Buy 1, Get $3 Register Rewards)
Used $4/1 coupon from the 8/10 SmartSource insert

1 Walgreens Perfection Tampons – $1.49 (Buy 1, Get $1.50 Register Rewards)

Total: $3.48, Received $4.50 Register Rewards

Transaction #2

1 Almay Mascara – $5.99 (Buy 1, Get $3 Register Rewards)
Used $4/1 coupon from the 8/10 SmartSource insert

1 (4 pk) Kid’s Plastic Bowls – Marked down to $0.50 (filler item)

Used $1.50 Register Rewards from Transaction #1

Total: $0.99, Received $3 Register Rewards

Transaction #3

We really needed diapers so I decided to use the rest of my Register Rewards to get them inexpensively.

1 Huggies Diapers – $9

2 Wexford Eraser Caps – $0.19 each with in-ad coupon

Used $6 Register Rewards from Transactions #1 & #2

Redeemed 1,000 points (like $1)

Total: $2.38

Total for all transactions before coupons, sales and Register Rewards: $34.14

Total for all transactions after coupons, sales and Register Rewards: $6.85

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

We Paid Cash: A New Patio

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 20, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Julie from The Family CEO

When we bought our house 13 years ago, one of the things we liked best about it was the patio off the dining room. We loved the shape of the patio, the curved steps leading down to it, and the fact that it allowed us to enjoy our private back yard with a tree line running the length of it.

Fast forward ten years or so, and that same patio was shifting and settling and becoming less and less enjoyable, even a little bit dangerous.

We nursed the patio through another summer or two because we wanted to pay for the improvements in cash. Eventually we had the money to tear out the old patio and put in a new one without using any debt. We kept the same shape of the patio and the curved steps we loved. But we made it larger and including a seating wall and some outdoor lighting.

Now we’re enjoying not only the new patio, but the satisfaction of knowing that it was paid for in cash.

Here’s what helped us pull it off:

1. We’ve paid off a lot of debt.

Getting rid of a couple of car payments, some credit card balances, and a home equity loan in the last five years or so has meant that more of our cash flow each month is ours to keep. In the time leading up to the new patio construction, we were able to add to our savings most months and also set aside a bonus or two, which would have normally been applied to debt.

2. We delayed gratification.

We weren’t able to replace the patio at the first sign of an unsettled brick. We had to live through a few years of settling and even some exposed rebar before we felt ready to take on the expense of replacement.

3. We scaled back our expectations.

Our original plan was to build a deck off the kitchen that wrapped around the house and met up with the new patio off the dining room. We got several bids on that and realized that the cost of doing that – along with an easement complication – meant that plan wasn’t in the cards.

We adjusted our plan to include only the new patio off the dining room, with some terraced steps leading down to the lower part of the yard. It’s not quite what we had envisioned, but it’s still a lovely space. And we may someday do the deck in a scaled back “phase 2”.

Julie is a freelance writer and blogger specializing in personal finance and lifestyle topics. She blogs at The Family CEO.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

Does it cost $245,340 to raise a child?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 20, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I was asked by a news outlet today if I would share some commentary around this recent report from the USDA on how much it costs to raise a child. Here’s the blurb on it from The Boston Globe:

A message for new parents: Get ready for sticker shock.

A child born in 2013 will cost a middle-income American family an average of $245,340 until he or she reaches age 18. And it’s more in the Northeast, roughly $282,480, according to a report out Monday.

The cost does not include college, or expenses if a child lives at home after age 17.

Those costs that are included — food, housing, child care, and education — rose 1.8 percent over the previous year, the Agriculture Department report said. Adjusting for projected inflation, a child born last year could cost a middle-income family an average of $304,480, the report added.

In 1960, the first year the report was issued, a middle-income family could spend about $25,230, equivalent to $198,560 in 2013 dollars, to raise a child. Housing costs are the greatest child-rearing expense, as they were in the 1960s, but current-day costs like child care were negligible back then. Housing expenses made up roughly 30 percent of the total cost of raising a child.

I found the prices fascinating and enjoyed getting to answer some questions on how to cut costs for this particular media piece. (I’ll let you know if and when it goes live — they may or may not use any of my commentary, but regardless, it was a great exercise to think through.)

What do YOU think? Does it cost $245,340 or more to raise a child to age 17? Have you ever calculated how much you’re spending on raising your kids? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 3

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 20, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Good morning! How’s your morning going so far today? I “slept in” until 5:30 a.m. this morning.

I was in bed by 9:45 p.m., but when my alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. this morning, I could tell an extra hour of sleep would do my body good. Because I’m trying to do a much better job of giving myself grace these days, I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. and went back to bed. And it felt so good.

Today’s assignment is about getting better sleep. I typically sleep really well. In fact, my husband jokes that it’s basically impossible to wake me up in the middle of the night if a child needs me and that he’s the one who always takes the night shift if a child is sick… which is somewhat accurate — at least the part about me being hard to wake up! 🙂

Unless I have some big something the following day and am feeling anxious or nervous about it, I sleep like a rock most nights. And I feel blessed that sleep is not an issue that I struggle with most of the time, because I know that many people do struggle with it.

That said, since committing to going to bed earlier, I’ve noticed that I’ve struggled to get to sleep at night. So I like the idea of being intentional about winding down at night in order to encourage restful sleep.

As I thought about it more, I realized that I actually do have a pretty solid Evening Routine/Before Bed Ritual — or whatever you want to call it. 🙂

My Current Bedtime Ritual

Here’s how it typically looks for me (note that I don’t always do all of these things, but I usually do most of these in this order):

::Do a quick clean up the kitchen/main living areas of the home — There’s something about waking up to a clean house in the morning that just feels SO good!

::Consult Google Calendar and write a to-do list for the following day.

::Wash face, take out my contacts, take pills/vitamins.

::Snuggle with my kiddos and send them off to bed. (Confession: I sometimes fall asleep right here — and then Jesse has to send them off to bed!)

::Make a cup of soothing tea and slather some essential oils or lotion on my feet.

::Turn off the electronics.

::Climb into bed. Chat with my hubby. Fall asleep.

The biggest thing for me is to start planning to go to bed at least an hour and a half before I actually plan to get in bed. It seems to take me that long to get everything done without feeling like I’m rushing through!

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 5:30 a.m.
Read my Bible and devotional books. Prayed over my day.
Made some coffee, opened my laptop and answered emails & comments.
Scheduled some posts — including this one asking for your input on my book.
Jesse came back from the gym and got Kathrynne up. They made breakfast together, and then she started on her independent work. We decided to let Silas & Kaitlynn sleep in this morning as they both seemed like they could use the extra sleep. 🙂
Finished this post.
And now I’m off exercise and shower, start the laundry, make some breakfast for myself (I’m going to try the Trim Healthy Mama Pancakes this morning), and help the kids with their chores and start in on our homeschooling for the day. We’re getting a later start because I “slept in” but we have a quieter day today so I think it will work out. And here’s to hoping I get in bed by my actual bedtime of 9:00 p.m. tonight!

How has your morning been so far? Do you have a bedtime routine of sorts? If so, what does it look like? If not, what would you LIKE it to look like?

Shared Aug 20, 2014 comment

Would you like to increase your income? {Help me with my next book!}

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 20, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m excited to be in the thick of working on my third book right now… and I think some of you are going to be pretty interested in the topic. And I’m spilling the beans today because I’m going to be asking for your help in the writing process this time around.

Well, not exactly your writing help, but in the next few months I’m going to be coming to you all fairly frequently with questions, quick surveys, and requests for you to nominate women for me to profile or interview in my book. You all are an amazing resource and wealth of wisdom and I can’t wait to hear you ideas and suggestions and answers to the questions as I go throughout this writing process!

So, what am I writing on? Well, in a nutshell, I’m writing a book on how women can increase their income and use that income to make an impact while at the same time maintaining a healthy balance of priorities.

I’m really, really, really stoked about this topic. Judging from the many emails I’ve received over the years, it’s something that many you are interested in. Not only that, but because I’m the girl who has made just about every mistake in the book and learned a lot from failure, it’s a topic that resonates so near to my heart.

My goal in this book is to empower you with practical ideas for not only how to start a business or find a creative way to make a part-time income, but to also challenge and inspire you to think how you can make a difference with that income — whether that’s to help your family get in a better financial position, to be able to fund a charity you believe in, to give generously to a cause you’re passionate, or whatever that looks like for you and your family.

What Do You Think?

So, with that said, as I’m still shaping the book’s message, I’d LOVE to hear from you:

Do you want to increase your income? If so, what are your greatest struggles when it comes to trying to increase your income? What do you feel like is holding you back?

Share your answers to these questions in the comments — or shoot me an email (crystal @ moneysavingmom.com) with your thoughts.

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Click here to download!

Shared Aug 19, 2014 comment

8 Ways to Use Your Garden Surplus

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from of OneThingAlone.com

Are you drowning in produce?

Right about now, vegetable gardens around the country are bringing in their harvest. And if you’re a gardener, you probably have more cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes than you know what to do with.

Letting them go to waste is a shame, but exactly how many ways can you cook zucchini before you hear collective groans at the dinner table? With a little creativity, you can both save money and make others happy with your garden surplus:

1. Save it for later.

You don’t have to eat everything now, you know. Many veggies freeze well if blanched first.

Simply drop a handful of veggies (carrots, green beans, peas) into boiling water, boil for 30-60 seconds, and then “shock” them ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain excess water and freeze in zip-lock bags. They should keep until the next harvest and will come in handy mid-winter.

You can also save spices like oregano and basil by placing them in an ice cube tray and covering them in olive oil. Once frozen, you can pop them out and store in a freezer-safe gallon-sized bag.

Fruit can be flash-frozen on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes and then stored in freezer bags for yummy smoothies, muffins, or healthy snacks throughout the year.

2. Make convenience items.

With just a bit of work, raw produce can become the base for many quick dinners. Use tomatoes to make a few batches of pizza sauce, tomato juice, or spaghetti sauce. Peppers can be sliced and bagged with onions for a fajita kit. Berries make delicious jams and great Christmas presents.

Veggies can also be used in lasagna, pre-made pizza toppings, and kebab kits. Simple, healthy, and money-savvy.

3. Bring them to work.

Obviously, not everyone has a vegetable garden in their backyard. While you may be up to your ears in cucumbers, others may have cukes on their shopping list. Be generous with what you have and make someone’s day.

Note: if you leave cabbage in the break room, check to make sure it’s gone by the end of the day so you don’t come back to a stench.

4. Invite friends into your garden.

I love bringing friends into my garden and letting them pick whatever they want for dinner that week. Nothing says friend like free food, right?

I get rid of extra veggies and they get dinner on the table with fresh, local, and organic produce.

5. Make a stir-fry or stew with remnants.

If all you have is a handful of peas or a small bowl of green beans, combine them all together for a quick stir-fry. Or throw them all in a pot, add some onions, seasonings and sausage, and make a stew!

Bonus: you can freeze half of the recipe for a later time when you don’t feel like cooking or when eating out tempts your wallet.

6. Double up and send it out

Whatever you’re cooking, make a double batch and surprise a friend with dinner. Whether it’s a new mama, a friend with sick kiddos, or your new neighbors, everyone can use a cooking-free night.

7. Try a new recipe

Whenever there’s a particular veggie that overproduces, try searching Pinterest for yummy recipes, print them all out, and have them handy to reference when the basket is full.

According to Google, there are 30,000,000 zucchini recipes out there, just waiting for you to give them a try. Who knew that zucchini fries, zucchini tortellini soup, and chocolate zucchini soup could taste so good?

8. “Auction” it online

Everyone likes free. Give your local Facebook friends something to smile about by “auctioning” off your produce surplus to the funniest comment or the most embarrassing mommy moment.

Create your own giveaway and make someone’s day, or offer it in exchange for babysitting, lawn services, or help with a freezer-cooking day. It’s a win-win either way.

With a bit of creativity and effort, your low-hanging veggies can save money, make smiles, and brighten days.

Asheritah is married to her high school sweetheart, Flaviu, and together with their daughter, Carissa, they make their home in Ohio. She blogs at OneThingAlone.com about the One Thing that makes laundry piles and midnight cries worth every second: walking with Jesus.

photo source

Shared Aug 19, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 2

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Good morning… er, not so quite morning. 🙂

I know I’m much later in getting this Rise & Shine Challenge post published than I’d planned to… but I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to my inbox literally exploding with emails from the Grocery University Blowout Sale today. And I’ve just been trying to keep afloat all morning between the emails, texts, and details surrounding that sale.

We had expected the sale to be a success, but you have (once again) far exceeded what we could have ever imagined. You all truly know how to show up in force for a bargain. 🙂

Thank you for spreading the word and sharing in our excitement! You all are the best!

In between all the emails, texts from my team, taking care of the details of the sale, my morning blogging work, laundry, homeschooling Silas, and taking care of the most important priorities who live at my house (!), I haven’t gotten that much else done today. I did get in my morning devotions and a quick exercise session and a shower. But that was about it.

However, I truly cannot envision how chaotic my morning would have been had I not gotten up at 4:30 a.m. Just another reason I need to make this getting up early thing a regular discipline again!

I’m also so grateful for my amazing team — some who got very little sleep last night to make sure everything was in place for the sale this morning (I’m looking at you, Joy!). They’ve worked tirelessly to answer countless emails, fix glitches, and take care of all the little behind-the-scenes things that have to be taken care of to pull off a sale like this with thousands and thousands of orders.

And I’m incredible grateful for my wonderful husband. This morning, after we realized that this sale was going to take a lot more time than we had initial thought (a completely great “problem” to have!), my husband offered to take over the homeschooling of the girls this morning so I could stay “tethered” to my phone and computer for awhile. Yes, that man is the best. He also made me bacon and eggs for breakfast. For the win, I tell you! 🙂

At any rate, I have to say that I LOVED all your comments on yesterday’s Rise & Shine post. You all are so inspirational!

And I wanted to answer each comment individually with a long reply. I still might get a chance to do so… but if I don’t get a chance today, know that I appreciate each one of you so much.

{Want to know the truth? Yesterday flew by between our first day of homeschooling, prepping for the Grocery University sale today, and working on blog/business stuff. We spent the evening with dear friends and didn’t get home until around 8:30 p.m.

After we got home, I was really, really tempted to jump online and spend an hour just responding personally to all of your comments on this post. But then I realized that would be a little counter-productive… you know, to stay up late responding to all your comments on getting up early. Yeah, not so smart.

So instead, I was a good girl and went to bed. Aren’t you proud of me?!? ;)}

Today’s Rise & Shine Challenge Assignment

Today’s assignment is to consider your family’s sleep cycles and see how you can do better.

This is an area we’re really committed to working on, because we developed some not-so-great habits while we were on a few weeks of summer break. And I was the worst culprit of said habits.

So I’m really committed to training my body to start going to bed much earlier. I sleep so much better when I go to bed early. I feel more rested. And I wake up feeling so energized.

This, in turn, makes me much more energetic and productive. Plus, I just feel happier all around.

To help us make going to bed a priority, one thing we did was to set up our fall schedule so all work, school, cleaning, projects, etc. would be wrapped up by 6 p.m. This way, the evenings are free to just be together, hang out with friends, and — most importantly — wind down.

I love the idea of coming up with nightly bedtime rituals that the Rise & Shine Challenge talks about today. What rituals does your family have to help everyone go to sleep earlier and to encourage everyone to sleep well? I’d love to hear any and all your ideas!

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 4:30 a.m.
Checked my phone to find that the Grocery University sale had blown up while I was sleeping!
Answered some urgent emails. Started to read my Bible and devotional books, got an urgent text from Joy on my team asking me to call her. We got that urgent issue taken care of and then I went back to finishing up my Bible reading, reading some devotionals, and praying over my day.
Made some coffee, answered a lot of emails and comments. Did some more urgent blogging work.
Exercised, showered, dressed. Hung out with my family for a bit, handed over my morning homeschooling responsibilities to Jesse since my inbox continued to blow up and he suggested it’d probably be the best option for the day (and he was so right!)
Answered more emails.
Switched the laundry and took the big pile of clean laundry out to the living room couch to fold later today. (I’m still playing catch-up from our 12-day vacation!)
Cleaned out my inbox again. Scheduled some posts.
Taught Silas kindergarten.
Answered more emails and finally finished this post. 🙂

How was your morning? What do you want to change about your family’s sleep cycles (if anything)? What are some of your bedtime rituals?

Shared Aug 19, 2014 comment

Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: $41 worth of items for $14!!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 19, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We are moving to a new house in a just a couple of weeks so I was thrilled to get a few items on sale that we needed for our new home.

3 (10 pk) Room Essentials Hangers – $1 each, used 20% off Cartwheel coupon (no longer available) – $0.80 each after coupon

1 Room Essentials Storage Ottoman – $12 (on sale this week – it is normally $19.99), used 20% off Cartwheel coupon AND 20% off Target mobile coupon (Text Savings1 to 827438) – $7.68 (The Cartwheel coupon is now only 10% off but this is still a great deal. These ottomans are really great quality and very sturdy.)

2 Up & Up Facial Tissue – $1.32 each, used 2 $0.75/1 Target printable AND 5% off Cartwheel coupon – $0.54 each after coupons

2 Suave Naturals Shampoo – $0.89 each, used 2 $0.50/1 coupon from the 7/27 RedPlum insert AND $1/2 Target mobile coupon (Text PACKITBACK to 827438) – Free plus overage after coupon

2 GE Halogen Light Bulbs – $5.99 each (These rang up Buy 1 Get 1 50% off), used 2 $2/1 Target printable AND 2 $1/1 printable – $1.49 each after coupons

Total before sales and coupons: $41

Total after sales and coupons: $13.92

Shared Aug 18, 2014 comment

Are you ready to cut your grocery bill?!?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 18, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Are you tired of spending so much on groceries? Do you wish you could find some step-by-step help to lower your grocery budget?

Then you’ll want to get up bright and early tomorrow morning to take advantage of our Crazy, Can’t Miss Sale on Grocery University that we’re running tomorrow only.

What is Grocery University?

Grocery University is a 2 hour, 19 minute audio course that will teach you everything you need to know about making the most of your grocery budget, regardless of whether you’re new to bargain shopping or have been a super-shopper for years.

This original, in-depth course goes deeper than anything you’ve ever seen before and will have you stretching your grocery budget further than you ever thought possible! It’s produced by my good friend, Carrie Isaac, a mom of five and owner of Springs Bargains.

In this course, Carrie has taken her years of experience teaching live seminars and developed a comprehensive strategy that’s proven to reduce your grocery budget. Carrie produced this course in 2010 and sold it successfully to thousands of people.

When I found out that Carrie was planning to discontinue selling Grocery University because her plate was too full, I approached her and asked if we could buy the rights to the course. We’ve been working on tweaking and updating the course over the past few months and it’s finally ready to be re-launched.

Don’t Miss Our Crazy Sale Tomorrow Only!

You won’t want to miss the re-launch TOMORROW. Trust me, the crazy, special, you-won’t-want-to-miss sale starts bright and early tomorrow morning and it’s worth getting up early for.

Why? Well, because the early bird truly gets rewarded:

5 a.m. CT – we’ll kick things off with the low, low price of $2.97
8 a.m. CT – price goes up to $3.97
11 a.m. CT – price goes up to $4.97
2 p.m. CT – price goes up to $5.97
5 p.m. – price goes up to $6.97
8 p.m. – price goes up to $7.97
11 p.m. – price goes up to $8.97

See, I told you that you wouldn’t want to miss out! 🙂

To get in on this deal, head over to GroceryUniversity.com tomorrow for this crazy Re-Launch Day Special Pricing!

These prices will only be valid tomorrow during the times listed.

P.S. If you want to share about this deal on your blog or on your Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook account, sign up to get your referral link here. You’ll earn 60% of all sales of this course made through your link tomorrow!

Shared Aug 18, 2014 comment

Increase Your Income and Build Relationships By Renting Out Part of Your Home

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 18, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Lisa Joy of Eclectic

A few years ago, we moved from a tiny condo into a split-level home. We loved our new floor plan and knew we could expand to fill it — but we didn’t have to. We had an extra bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen downstairs; and since we didn’t want to waste that space, finding a renter seemed like the logical thing to do.

For the record, you don’t need an extra kitchen to have a renter. My parents, who are entering the empty-nest stage, have invited a local college girl to live in a spare bedroom upstairs. They have also remodeled part of their walk-out basement to be a small apartment.

Having a renter in your home can expand your family’s relationships while increasing your monthly income. Also, income earned from a renter has the added benefits of often being tax-free (you’ll want to research this as you do your taxes), and requires no continual work hours.

If you live in a home with a little extra space, or if you could consolidate to make that space, having a renter may be a good option for you as well. Here are a few things to think about if this is a path you would like to pursue:

Find the Right Fit

A renter can be a nightmare if it’s not a good fit for your family, but a good fit can be a huge blessing. We are just about to welcome our third renter into our home. All three have been single, Christian women who have just completed their undergrad degree.

To find them, we advertised through two local colleges. We make it clear that we are a small Christian family with young children. We will only accept females who are willing to keep quiet hours and respect our property.

We ask each prospective renter for three references, and we do a background check. We also ask them to come visit our home and share a meal with us, so that they can see the place and so that we can get a feel for their personality.

Set Clear Boundaries

I’m a private, introverted person, and having a renter only works because we have clear boundaries. Both we and our renters sign a lease agreement before they move in.

The lease agreement includes specification of what space belongs to whom. Some space belongs to us, and the renter is not allowed to enter without invitation.

Some space belongs to our renter, and we are not allowed to enter except in case of emergency. Some space is shared.

Because we have a split-level home, the entire upstairs is our private space, so I can wear my pajamas around without having to worry. Not like I would, you know, but just in case! 😉

We ask our renters to get a post office box, so we’re not sharing a mailbox. We also specify where our renter should park their car.

If you share a kitchen or bathroom, you can specify things like which cupboard or fridge/freezer shelf belongs to your renters. You can specify when your renter does laundry. We also make rules about the number of guests allowed, and ask our renters to get permission for overnight guests.

Our lease agreement includes basics like a security deposit to cover any damages, and a deadline when rent is due each month. And because we have small children, we set quiet hours from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Clear boundaries upfront protect both you and your renter, and help you find someone with a quiet lifestyle who will respect your privacy.

Enjoy A Mutual Blessing

I remember being a single woman just out of college, and it was challenging. Finding housing that is both affordable and safe can be difficult. Adjusting to a new area can be lonely.

Many single women welcome the opportunity to live with a family. In some cases, you may find that you are not just a landlord, but a friend.

A renter can also be a blessing to YOU. We hire our renter not only for baby-sitting, but also for getting mail and watering plants when we are out of town.

We occasionally invite our renter up for a meal and last winter we visited together when we were snowed in. Our children consider them almost like adopted aunts.

I had some initial misgivings, and of course there’s been a little inconvenience, but ultimately having a renter has been so worth it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to increase our monthly income, and to reach out at the same time.

Lisa Joy is a disciple of Christ, living in the Shenandoah Valley with her husband, son, and daughter, teaching part-time, fostering, homemaking, and blogging a little around the edges at Eclectic.

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My One Nightly Must-Do: Create Tomorrow’s To-Do List

This Morning’s Report

How has your morning been so far? Do you have a Nightly Checklist? If so, what’s on it? If not, what would you LIKE it to look like?

How have the past two weeks gone for you? Did anything interesting or exciting happen at your house?

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Walgreens Shopping Trip

1. We’ve paid off a lot of debt.

2. We delayed gratification.

3. We scaled back our expectations.

My Current Bedtime Ritual

This Morning’s Report

How has your morning been so far? Do you have a bedtime routine of sorts? If so, what does it look like? If not, what would you LIKE it to look like?

What Do You Think?

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

1. Save it for later.

2. Make convenience items.

3. Bring them to work.

4. Invite friends into your garden.

5. Make a stir-fry or stew with remnants.

6. Double up and send it out

7. Try a new recipe

8. “Auction” it online

Today’s Rise & Shine Challenge Assignment

This Morning’s Report

How was your morning? What do you want to change about your family’s sleep cycles (if anything)? What are some of your bedtime rituals?

What is Grocery University?

Don’t Miss Our Crazy Sale Tomorrow Only!

Find the Right Fit

Set Clear Boundaries

Enjoy A Mutual Blessing

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